We give you the scuttlebutt on academic journals—aiding you in selecting the right journal for publication—in reviews that are sometimes snarky, sometimes lengthy, always helpful. Written by Princeton University graduate students and Wendy Laura Belcher.

Theology and Sexuality

For those interested in publishing articles that use theological methods to study gender and sexuality.

Theology and Sexuality is a leading international journal among theologians interested in questions of gender, sexuality, and queer experiences both in and outside of religious spaces, though most of the pieces published are expressly Christocentric and American focused. Published works employ queer and feminist theories, and in some instances trans* theory, to complicate theological constructions of sex, sexuality, marriage, reproduction, family, and approaches to pastoral care. In fact, many essay titles in the journal include the words “Theology and Sexuality.” Of central importance to the journal is deconstructing heteronormativity and the centering of male-identified individuals.

However, race, class, nation, and citizenship are areas of analysis that the journal lacks. Theologians published in the last five years do not provide critical engagements with queer of color critique, queer of color feminist thought, womanist queer theologies, critical race theory, and/or discussions of class, capitalism, neoliberalism and the Christian right. The last issue was published in 2015. Two years later, in 2017, amidst a Trump presidency, the theological community must reckon with the ways pervasive and often deadly constructs of race, gender, class, and sexuality, appear and re-appear in the realm of politics because of bad theology, and it is my hope that the Theology and Sexuality will follow the examples of other religion and theology journals exploring these analytical themes. I think a special issue taking into consideration the aforementioned critiques would certainly propel the journal in new directions and would allow for more nuanced readings of theology, gender, and sexuality with careful attentiveness to our highly racialized and politicized historical moment. (AHG)